After Studying This Chapter, the Student Should Be Able To

Greek Theatre

Objectives

After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:

· Identify the origins of theatre and drama in Greece.

· Compare and contrast Greek tragic playwrights.

· Identify the role of the chorus in Greek plays.

· Apply Aristotle’s six elements of drama to the analysis of a play.

· Compare and contrast old and new comedy.

· Sketch a ground plan of Greek theatre, identifying major elements.

· Describe changes to theatrical production and architecture in the Hellenistic Age.

Lecture Topics

What was the relationship between theatre and religion in classical Greece?

What did Greek theatres look like in classical Greece? How did this change in the Hellenistic period?

What was the role of the actor in the Hellenistic period?

Discussion Topics

How does Oedipus Rex exemplify climactic drama?

Did actors perform on a raised stage in classical Greece? Why is this difficult to determine?

What stage machinery was used in classical Greece?

What was the function of masks in Greek theatre?

What did costumes look like in the Greek theatre? How do scholars know this?

What was the social position of actors in the Hellenistic period?

Multiple-Choice

Please choose the answer that best completes each question.

1. At the foot of the seating area of the theatre of Dionysus was a flat circular area where the actors performed. This was called the:
A. orchestra
*B. skene
C. mecchane
D. ekkyklema

2. Poetics, written by _________________________________, describes the six elements of drama.
A. Sophocles
B. Socrates
C. Aristophanes
*D. Aristotle

3. The function of the chorus in Ancient Greek theatre was to:
A. serve as an ideal spectator
B. provide background information
C. entertain with song and movement
*D. All of the above

4. The dithyramb was:
A. a crane used to lift actors
B. a platform rolled in to reveal off-stage events
*C. a chorus of men singing in honor of Dionysus
D. a trilogy of plays

5. In ancient Greece, the archon appointed a choregus, who is the modern-day equivalent of the:
A. actor
*B. producer
C. designer
D. playwright

6. The Greek dramatist best known for his superb plot construction (structure) was:
A. Thespis
B. Euripides
C. Aeschylus
*D. Sophocles

7. Which of the following genres contains a chorus of mythological creatures who were half-goat and half-man:
A. Old Comedy
*B. Satyr play
C. New Comedy
D. Tragedy

8. A ____________________ is a story or legend handed down from generation to generation.
*A. myth
B. pastoral
C. prologue
D. satyr

9. _________________________ is said to be the first actor and playwright.
A. Arion
*B. Thespis
C. Sophocles
D. Aristotle

10. Which of the following is true of the Greek Chorus?
*A. Its importance in tragedy decreased during the fifth century.
B. Its importance in tragedy increased during the fifth century.
C. It was made up of both male and female actors.
D. It was always made up of realistic characters.

11. The first of the extant Greek playwrights, his characters embody cosmic conflicts.
A. Aristotle
*B. Aeschylus
C. Sophocles
D. Euripides

12. The ______________________________ was a device which flew in the gods in Greek drama. The term is now used for any surprise ending.
*A. deus ex machine
B. periaktoi
C. ekkyklema
D. deus ex crane

13. ____________________________________ wrote tragedies; it is unlikely that his plays were performed in Roman public theatres.
A. Plautus
*B. Seneca
C. Terence
D. Socrates

14. ________________________ makes fun of society, politics, or culture.
*A. Old Comedy
B. Middle Comedy
C. New Comedy
D. Situational Comedy

15. In the center of the Greek orchestra was found a _______________________; this is a reminder that Greek drama was rooted in religious rituals.
*A. thymele
B. skene
C. parados
D. parasrenia

16. One scene-changing device believed to have been used in Ancient Greece was the ____________________, which had three painted flats hinged together.
A. pinake
*B. periaktoi
C. mechane
D. ekkyklema

17. The ________________________, a platform on wheels, was used to reveal climactic offstage events.
A. pinake
B. periaktoi
C. mechane
*D. ekkyklema

18. The ________________________ theory argues that theater originated with large choral odes which were sung by a chorus of fifty men as part of religious festivals.
A. linguistic
B. myth-ritual
*C. dithyrambic
D. epic rhapsode

19. While the characters in the plays of _____________________________ embodied cosmic conflicts (i.e. were superhuman), _______________________ placed emphasis on individual characters who were complex and psychologically motivated.
*A. Aeschylus, Sophocles
B. Euripides, Sophocles
C. Sophocles, Aristophanes
D. Euripides, Aeschylus

20. The only extant Greek comedies from the fifth century B.C. were written by:
A. Aristophanes
*B. Menander
C. Aristotle
D. Plautus

21. The _______________________ was a Greek festival held in honor of Dionysus and featuring the performance of plays.
A. Rural Dionysia
*B. City Dionysia
C. Lanea
D. Anthesteria

22. According to your text, the first critic to attempt to pinpoint the characteristics of Greek tragedy was:
*A. Aristotle
B. Horace
C. Cervantes
D. Plato

23. What was the "viewing place" of the early Greek theatres called?
*A. theatron
B. auditorium
C. skene
D. orchestra

24. _____________________________ uses domestic situations of middle class citizens and is generally concerned with love and financial considerations.
A. Old Comedy
B. Middle Comedy
*C. New Comedy
D. Satire

25. _______________________________ gave actors professional security in the Hellenistic period.
*A. The Artists of Dionysus
B. The Academy
C. Pericles
D. Kothornoi

26. In the Hellenistic period, actors wore large headdresses known as the:
*A. onkos
B. kothornoi
C. parados
D. ekkyklema

27. In the Hellenistic period, the __________________________acted as the producer of plays.
A. archon
*B. agonthetes
C. actor
D. choregus

True/False

Please choose whether the statement is true or false.

28. Greek theatre is intimately bound up with Greek religion.

*True

False

29. Business came to a standstill during dramatic festivals.

*True

False

30. Play festivals were not competitive, so that each actor and playwright could be honored equally.

True

*False

31. Myths provided the subject matter of most of the plays written for the festivals.

*True

False

32. The chorus never interacted with other characters in Greek plays.

True

*False

33. Sophocles wrote Poetics, a treatise on plot construction.

True

*False

34. Oedipus Rex is an example of climactic drama.

*True

False

35. Classical Greek plays were performed indoors at small, intimate theaters.

True

*False

36. Stage machinery was used in Greek theatres to reveal climactic offstage deaths.

*True

False

37. Hellenistic theatres had stone seats rather than the wooden ones, which were used in the classical period.

*True

False

38. Performers became less important during the Hellenistic period, as the playwright emerged as the leading artist.

True

*False

Essays/Activities

39. Discuss Aristotle’s six elements of drama as they apply to Oedipus Rex.

40. Sketch a ground plan of a Greek theatre; identify the skene, orchestra, audience, and parados.